Cinders and Lilacs
by Nikomedes
Summary: It takes time to realize you're in love. FlHr pairing. Femslash. -Discontinued due to my lack of interest-
1. I Believe

Well... I'm kinda new here and this is the first time I ever wrote anything like this so I hope its good. I'm not very good with grammar so beware and I'm not good with French either. This was inspired by an amazing band by the name of Acceptance! Sadly they are not together any more T-T. Anyway enjoy!

I_talics_ are thoughts or emphasis.

(This is a Fleur and Hermione fem-slash btw)

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or anything... basically I own nothing. -

* * *

I Believe

_Love..._ A word that cannot be defined with simple letters. Sure, you can look in a dictionary and mange to get a dry meaning of the term, but in reality it is so much more.

But if this was so, why was it that a young girl with brown bushy hair sat in the library of Hogwarts, shuffling the pages of books, seeking for the definition of the undefinable term? Why was she searching the pages with sick desperation that anyone who passed by her would think that she was a nervous breakdown in the making. The answer was simple, it was because she was _in love._ However she was not in love with any old fellow. She had fallen in love with _her_.

"Argh!" She griped softly, remembering she was in a quiet place.

"Why is this so complicated!" She literally wanted to hit her head on the table in frustration. This time she couldn't confide in books like usual and it agitated her greatly. Books were the references of life, the unquestionable resource of everything, books were the undeniable creed of Hermione. Whatever manifestation a book said was true, was law in Hermione's regard. But how are you supposed to follow a law which cannot be found nor existed? You can't. She silently gave up and let out a flustered sigh as she packed up her things.

Never had a novel, scripture or any written text given her this much hindrance. No book had ever caused her so much _confusion. Actually it's not the books that are at fault, it's that stupid emotion. _She concluded bitterly as she stalked out of the library with her beaten up messenger bag at hand.

This year had came with bountiful affairs instead of the regular had to save the wizard world from destruction or being on guard for any crazed lunatics running around. This year Hogwarts had revived the TriWizard's Tournament which had never been held in centuries. That meant students from two other schools, Dumstrung and Beauxbatons, currently resided with the rest of the student body. Although, that was when the commotion commenced.

It had been months since _someone_ had arrived, to be exact it had been seven months, twelve days, fifteen hours and twenty-nine minutes since _she_ had first showed up. Hermione inwardly groaned at the detail that she had been counting the days...hours...minutes. Why, why, why! Why did her heart beat so rapidly when _she_ was around? Why did her pulse quicken every time _she_ talked to her or grabbed her hand? Why did she ever had to fall head over heels in love with _her _at all!

Thud.

Speaking of head over heels, now she was physically head over someone else's heels. She mentally scolded herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings or rather to _who_ was in her surroundings.

"O', I am sorry 'Ermione. I did not see you zere." She glanced up to find herself staring into those piercing blue eyes that she often dreamed about as her heart started to race. _Why now?_ She was still staring into those azure eyes, the eyes that matched her beautiful blonde hair. Hermione's trance ended when a hand was pushed in front of her face. _Her_ hand. Yes, she was in love. And yes, the person she loved was standing ahead of her. And that person was none other than... _Fleur Delacour. _She was the flower of her dreams, the apple of her eye, the love of her life, the list could go on and on but in the end _she _was the one who stole her heart.

"Ummm... 'Ermione, I know many people do but I would appreciate eet eef you would stop staring." She joked. Hermione blushed, noticing she had been staring at the blonde witch.

"Oh sorry. I was uuhh thinking of something..." She mumbled the first thing that popped into her head as she took hold of Fleur's hand and hoisted herself up, little electric shocks ran up her body as her hand made contact with Fleur's. _How is she able to turn me into a pile of incoherent mush?_

"Really, w'at were you zinking about?" Hermione could see twinkles of amusement in the French witch's eyes which mocked her embarrassment.

"Nothing at all." She said lamely as the little shocks from her hand, which was still in Fleur's continued pulsing through her body, not that she minded of course.

"Eet seems like you are zinking of a certain someone." She winked.

"Nonsense, you know I don't like anyone!" Hermione lied as she knew perfectly well that she liked, no loved, the person she was with at the moment.

"'Mmm, fine zen." Fleur smirked a bit. "I will drop eet for now."

"Glad to hear it." Hermione laughed nervously. "So how's Hogwarts been for you?"

"Eet eez vairy grand, and quite damp too. Eizer zan zat eet eez not so bad." The blonde woman replied as she gently slipped out of the other's grasp, much to Hermione's displeasure. They began to stroll towards the Beauxbaton's carriage.

"If you stay long enough you can get used to it."

"I would guess so but eet still lacks zat je ne sais quoi zat Beauxbaton 'as. Per'aps you s'ould visit Beauxbaton sometime?"

"Perhaps... I'll think about it."

"Eet eez vairy nice alzough eets size eez nozing compared to 'Ogwarts."

"But isn't it in France?"

"Zat s'ould not be a problem. You are a witc', are you not?"

"Well, yes but I don't think I'd be showing up any time soon."

"Eet eez merely a suggestion." The pair exited the immense building as a cool zephyr blew by. Hermione momentarily shivered as Fleur stiffened. Regardless the two trekked their way through the hard ground.

"'Ermione, maybe you s'ould go back to ze castle. Eet eez getting quite dark." Fleur advised as she noted the inky horizon and the shimmering moon who had arisen . "I would not be content eef I were ze cause of you being tardy." Hermione was torn between having caught curfew and having escorted her crush back to her dorm. She could already see the silhouette of the wagon that meshed with the shadows of the Forbidden Forest and the illumination that poured through the windows of the carriage, hence she choose the latter.

"It's okay, we're almost there anyway."

"Zat eez vairy, 'ow you say, chivalrous of you." She gave the English witch a fervent smile. A smile which had caused a warmth in Hermione's heart to swell and spread throughout her body. _Her smile is absolutely gorgeous!_

"I wouldn't think so."

"A', you are too modest."

"You reckon?" She contemplated out loud as they reached the door of the housing.

"A tad but zat eez w'at makes you 'Ermione." Hermione beamed appreciatively as Fleur moved to stand in front of the doorway. "Mecri beaucoup for escorting me."

"It's no problem."

"Eef you eensist." Hermione still had a simper on her visage as the older witch hugged her. As soon as her arms wrapped themselves around her frame, Hermione felt as if she had died and gone to a Fleur-filled heaven. She could smell the lilac aroma that expanded off of the other's physique and felt the slight tickles of Fleur's hair in her face. _Lovely..._ To make matters worse, or better, the Frenchwoman whispered in her ear; "Bon soir 'Ermione." Precedent to departing.

Hermione stood there before she underwent a thrill of light-heartedness. She nearly skipped towards the castle with a grin plastered on her face, oblivious to the grim nightfall and stunned silence. She felt as if her heart throbbed out of control, or was it? She couldn't tell if it vibrated so hastily or if it completely stopped but she knew one thing. _She had fallen for Fleur Delacour._

She didn't know when or how it transpired but she did know that she was in love, that was indubitable. Hence the countless instances she had spent in the athenaeum in which she attempted to sort out her affections, none of those occasions had comforted her though since none of them had aided her. Initially, she thought the weird sensations she had for Fleur was an adoration for how poised and alluring she was except as she began to affiliate with the French beauty a nagging in her conscience developed. The nagging had caused her to reconsider the sensations into an article of some unknown proportion, until eventually she had arrived at the outcome of having an infatuation. How could that be? How could Hermione had fallen in love with an individual so... _Fleur_? She did not know thus she had buried those emotions under layers of phlegmatic actions or bad-tempered mannerisms

"Balderdash." She stated as she realized the Fat Lady was onward. Fortunately, she was able to retreat to the Gryffindor common room without the nuisance of any unwanted confrontations.

"You're lucky I'm still here, by this time I would've been visiting my friend blah blah blah." Hermione didn't pay any attention to the blathering painting as she stepped inside the sitting room, she had far too much on her mind. _My, I got here fast._ She checked the clock above the fireplace.

11:59 PM.

One minute before midnight, she didn't feel tired nor fatigued so she lazily settled into one of the red and gold recliners and inspected the flicking flames of the fire. The glow from the flares warmed up her figure but not as greatly as Fleur had, she teased the embers with a poking stick. _When had I fallen in love with Fleur? _Her recollection travelled to the time she had first saw the blonde temptress.

She had spotted her through the masses of feminine beauty the second before she waltzed away from the group and curtseyed with her little sister trailing behind. Back then she thought Fleur was just a pretty face. A pretty face that had no brain capability and probably a shallow personality to boot. In other words, the stereotypical Barbie girl.

Hermione perceived that she was materialistic, plastic, not the brightest bulb on the rack, and so forth yet she glared at the way the Frenchwoman radiated elegance in every movement she made. Of course most, if not all, of the student male population had their eyes glued to her. Hell, even some of the female students had their eyeballs fixed on her, but in a more subtle way than the males. At that time Hermione caught Harry staring at the Frenchwoman too but not as intensely as Ron was, in fact Ron was so unaware of his gestures that he had left his mouth hanging open. _Hope he catches flies like that._

Admittedly, she was a little jealous of how Fleur could get a whole group of men and women ogling her but at the same time she was not entirely sure if being observed constantly was a good thing. Nevertheless she was mesmerized by the fact that the fair haired woman was so mind boggling _beautiful_! She had heard Ron mention something about the older girl being a Veela but she had ruled out that possibility unlike him who'd turn purple by the sight of her.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" He had exclaimed and proceeded to check the French witch out... again. _Boys! _Hermione hadn't believed him before but now she knew better, Ron had been right._ I mean, a person can't be that _stunning _without being some sort of siren!_

She continued to prod the cinders. _Who would have guessed I would be infatuated with Fleur? Fleur for crying out loud! In the past I would have never guessed that I'd want her to be with me. No one would've guessed that the we would even be friends with the way I treated her. Ahhh, this is all too frustrating! _She gave one of the glowing rocks a particular hard shove.

She had felt like this months prior but had not pondered about the swirling typhoons of emotions until a couple of weeks ago. The method she had established when Fleur was mentioned or was near during those periods was to shift into a brash, short-tempered façade or ignore her completely. Her approach worked until she was forced into a situation that hadn't allowed either tactics to function.

She recalled the encounter like it was yesterday for that was the day when all barriers crashed down. It was the day to be reckoned with. It was the day the two had came to a conclusion, abundant to Hermione's distaste at that span of her life.

It had been a sunny Saturday afternoon, logically no one had any classes. Many of her peers had been frolicing outside or plainly 'hanging out' but dissimilar to them, Hermione wasn't one to be a normal teenager. Therefore instead of having spent her day with her two best mates, she decided she'd like to get a head start on a class assignment.

She glided her way through the corridors of books rummaging for a volume about the study of Herbology yet she somehow immersed herself so far into the library that she wandered into a deserted area. She placed her belongings on a nearby table as she began to explore this new found territory. _I've never been here before, maybe I can find something useful on Fluxweed?_

She eventually discovered a secluded room filled with assorted old books and cleaning supplies. Obviously, she sauntered into the library's janitor closet. She turned and jiggled the knob but discovered it to be stuck. Her features widened in fear as she began to pound ruthlessly at the door.

"Help! Someone help! I'm stuck in here!"

She pressed her ear to the wooden door as she prayed someone heard her. Luckily, someone did hear her as footsteps scuttled to the door frame.

"'Ello eez someone in 'ere?"

She cursed upon hearing the accent. It was some snobbish student from Beauxbaton, but she supposed getting their help was better than being stuck in a broom closet for hours on end.

"Yes, I'm stuck in h-!" Previous to Hermione finishing her sentence light cascaded into the room, but as soon as the flash entered it disappeared with a slight click. "Ere..." She scraped her fingers through her wild hair. _Great, just peachy, now I'm not only stuck in a closet, I'm stuck in a closet with some pompous French beauty queen! This is what you get for studying on the weekend!_ She heard the other witch try to turn the handle.

"O', eet eez stuck..."

"That's what I was going to say." She sighed. _How could this day end up from perfectly normal to obscenely stressful?_

"I am sorry, I did not know..."

"Don't fret over it." She replied irritably.

"Eet eez a beet dark in 'ere, non?"

"Yeah." She reached into her robes just as the other witch did.

"Lumos!" They both cast. Hermione was shocked to find that the girl she was trapped with was the same girl that had everybody star-struck. She promptly raised her defensive wall as a strange gut reaction surged. Despite her blockade she understood why the girl had most people dumbfounded at the shear sight of her. Her icy blue eyes, flowing light hair and attractive facial features was surely Aphrodite's gift to mankind. _Not to mention great body... where the hell did _that_ come from? What in the bloody hell am I thinking! Maybe I should spend less time with Ron and Harry?_ She reinforced her veneer just as the other girl started to talk.

"Since we are going to be stuck 'ere for a w'ile I would like to know w'om I am talking wiz.' Hermione was caught off guard by how straightforward she was.

"Don't you think it's a bit _rude _to ask that?"

"I do not zink so, I am simply asking for your name."

"Maybe I don't want to give it to you." She observed the skeptical look the blonde shot at her. She knew she acted childishly but she didn't care. _I don't want that woman to acknowledge me, I don't even want her to look at me... or do I? What the hell! I should really spend less time with the boys! S_he shuffled over to sit on top of a box, which most likely held books in it. Minutes pasted and not a single word was exchanged, the only noises that were heard was the soft breaths of the other. Although, Hermione had caught the Frenchwoman giving her multiple glimpses. _Why is she looking at me?_ She thought as the fair haired witch once again gave her a squint.

"What?" She snapped. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Non."

"Then why are you staring at me!?"

"'Ow long do you zink eet will be unteel we are found?" The older witch evaded her earlier question.

"I don't know." She answered dryly. _Figures she'd ignore me._ She sensed her heart weigh down but it gave her more incentive to strengthen her wall.

"Well, w'at time does zis place close?"

"Near 10:30... why?"

"Do zey ever searc' ze place?" _And again she ignored my question._

"Not that I know of." She risked a glanced at the foreign witch, momentarily the blonde witch was leaning against one of the walls. Hermione scrutinized her face and pursued to read her expression. Indifference... it was all she could see on her visage.

"I take eet you do not like me?" The lady spoke spasmodically.

"What gave you that idea?"

"Ze way you are be'aving and ze tone of your voice."

"Why would you care?"

"Must you persist on being so stubborn?"

"I am **not** stubborn." The French witch scoffed. "And what's that suppose to mean?" She glared daggers at her.

"Look at you. You be'ave like a child yet you are obviously not and you treat me like I 'ave done wrong to you, w'en in reality I 'ave done nozing but ask for your name!" Hermione knew she was right. She knew that this girl, this lady, this _woman_ hadn't done anything of the sort. As a matter of fact, this was single-handedly the first time either of these witches had spoken to each other. Immature, that was the word that described her act... immature and foolish. Still Hermione didn't want to part with her disguise for the churning of uncertainty had caused nameless impulses to erupt from her core. _Are there butterflies in my stomach?_ She shot a venomous stare at her.

"I see, you do not get my point." _I get your point. But I don't want to comprehend it..._ She decided to tune out the older witch. Nothing happened for what seemed like forever. Nothing... but the sound of French mutterings. _Why am I so... insensible? Why do I feel so... sorry? So condemned? So __**wrong**_? _Maybe I should just apologised? I mean, I am acting like a selfish prat and what have she ever done to me. Nothing! From a logical stand point if I continue my façade then we'll be in here forever..._

"Okay, I'm... I'm... I'm sorry." Hermione swallowed her pride and shattered the pieces of her mask as she stood. _Okay...that wasn't so bad, was it? Then why do I have these abnormal stirrings? Why do I feel so... vulnerable? She probably hates me now or something. But I shouldn't feel this bad, should I? Oh, what's wrong with me?_ She glanced at her only to come across the sight of the other's back. The blonde woman had her back turned while muttering more gibberish in French.

"I apologise for behaving this way. I just wasn't -"

"Zinking?" The French witch faced her. Hermione spotted growing frustration upon her face as a few strands of light hair fell away. She was stunned by how beauteous she looked. _My gosh, she's ...beautiful._

"Uuuhh, y-yeah." The blonde woman shrugged.

"Eet does not matter now. W'at does matter eez zat we get out of 'ere before we bot' die from ze lack of oxygen." Against herself, Hermione smirked at the joke.

"Have you tried using spells?"

"Zat eez w'at I was doing w'ile you were..."

"Being juvenile?"

"Oui."

"My name's Hermione by the way..." She peeped as she focused at the other's eyes.

"Eet eez nice to meet you. Je m'appelle Fleur Delacour."

"Likewise." Hermione felt some of the prejudice for the woman leave her.

They had spent that afternoon simply talking, learning and understanding one another. By the time Madame Pince turned up and discovered them, Hermione had found a common ground with Fleur. Let's just say, the end of that day sparked the new begining of an odd friendship.

She chuckled slightly as she set the poker down. _Denial_. During those days she was in denial. Denial of having been attracted to Fleur, denial of her emotions, denial of everything when it came down to _her._ Also that wearisome pretense was all because of _denial. _All the same, Hermione came to an agreement with her heart. The agreement was that she was in love with the woman.

...woman.

_My, how things change over time,_ she mused, _I'd never in a million years thought I'd be wanting a relationship with a woman, Fleur nonetheless_. _Not that there was anything wrong with that but I'd never thought of myself as a bisexual. Yes, I still like boys but I am slightly attracted to girls. Fleur's proof of that. _She sighed longingly_. Wow, things have changed since the first moment I stepped in this castle._

She barely heard the gentle splutters of the inferno as she nodded off to a quiet slumber.

* * *

And thats that! Peace! Oh and to clarify this isn't a oneshot.


	2. GloryUs

Okay, I'm sorry bout the editing/changing of the last chapter and I also apologize if this chapter is a bit choppy(I redid it three times).

-Disclaimer- I own nothing T.T

* * *

Glory/Us

Her body shook as harsh winds blew leaves off nearby vegetation. All was dim except for the reflection of the glowing moon. She couldn't see through the thick sombre overgrowth yet she could smell the stench of the earthy soil below her feet. It was so strong it almost overwhelmed her. Her legs seared with pain, she was running. She wasn't sure what she was running from but she continued until her legs gave out. Her lungs throbbed achingly as her figure met the cold hard dirt. She tasted copper. Her lips had began to bleed. _Where am I?_ _Am I dreaming? Is this real? _Her mind faded to a blank.

"W'at are you doing? Get up." A familiar voice spoke. _Her_ voice spoke yet she didn't move, she didn't have the drive. No matter how hard she wanted too, she just couldn't.

"Tell me. Do you love me?" Her bloody mouth spoke on its own accord. "Do you love me?" She felt a crawling under her skin like an insect prickling her organs. Itching, biting... bleeding. It dragged its pointy limps over and over and encrypted deadly poison upon each step. She could feel her life draining from each motion. One by one, her sanity was drained until she felt a black void creeping towards her psyche. She was barely conscience when words left the other's lips.

"Non."

Everything faded to a broken black.

"Fleur... Fleur?... Fleur!" Hermione awoke with a start. _Was that a dream? _She blinked several times to moisten her bloodshot eyes as_ s_he wiped the chilled sweat from her brow. It was dark. The fire that had burned hours prior had long been extinguished. Now everything was pitch-black and bleak. Her eyes stung horribly as she grabbed her belongings and hiked to her room. Cold. She was freezing although she had been heated by the touch of _her._ She dropped her bag upon entering and draped her quilt around herself as an attempt for warmth. Her memory regurgitated her dream... no, her nightmare.

_Fleur... _Again, her mind spewed out each instance she and Fleur had shared. The first day they saw each other, the day spent locked in the library's closet, the countless times when they had simply walked and talked while enjoying the other's company. _Not once during those times did Fleur hint that she was remotely interested, aside from her normal flirtatious behaviour. Not once... I'm not even sure if she likes women... _

Hermione involuntarily gazed through one of the many dusty old windows of her room to the Beauxbaton's carriage where her love laid. _Her love..._ Her love that made her blissful, joyful, _intoxicated._ Her love that washed away all other emotions aside for boundless happiness. Her love who didn't even realize that they were perfect for each other. _Unrequited love... is that what I have? Well... She doesn't know I like her... _

Her contemplation was interrupted by the controllable urge to shudder. Goose-bumps rippled across her skin as the eerie crawling continued to remain. _What is my subconscious trying to tell me? Should I stay away from Fleur?... No. I love her... but does she even like me?_ She pushed that question afar, not wanting to deal with it now. She tried to re-evaluate her nightmare so she could analyse it further but only bits and pieces returned. Forgotten... her nightmare was gone. All she recalled was the deadly 'non' that resounded in her head. However that itching sensation was very much present. Impulsively, she flung her covers to the side and walked. She didn't know where she was going but she kept on moving.

Her heartbeat pulsed in her temples, it coincided with every footstep she took. She felt it getting heavier with each step as well. Heavier and harder. She wasn't sure where she was at the moment nor did she care. The only thing she was aware of was the impulse that made her stride forward, that made her move. Her mind had long been empty. She merely acted on instinct. _Move, keep moving, don't stop._

Crisp morning air greeted her membrane as she continued onto the grounds. The sun had begun to rise, dawn had broken. It's rays lengthened the shadows of every object in sight and in the process caused a golden hue amongst the terrain. Although, she didn't take notice as she proceeded to march toward the Beauxbaton's carriage. She rapt her cold knuckles against the wooden door. _What am I doing here?_ Her mind started to work as a being pried open the entry.

"'Ermione? W'at are you doing 'ere?" She glanced at her love's face. The light of the sun made Fleur's features glow with splendour. The rays captured the essence of her grace and framed it with sprinkles of magnificence as they made her cobalt orbs brighten and her fair hair shine. Stunning, she was a breath-taking sight. So much so that Hermione's breath was caught in her throat when Fleur spoke.

"Are you well?" She saw concern within her shiny blue orbs. When the young witch didn't respond she stepped outside and placed her gentle hands on top of her numb shoulders.

"'Ermione, did somezing 'appen?" The brunette softened her expression. _She does care about me._

"No, I had a bad dream. I wasn't thinking and came here... Sorry to bother you so early, I'll go if you want." The older witch's face relaxed as she chuckled quietly.

"Non, no need. I am already awake."

"Er, I'm sorry." She stared down at her feet.

"For w'at?"

"Waking you up, I just wasn't thinking..."

"'Mmm, you seem to be doing zat a lot lately."

"Doing what?"

"Not zinking." The blonde smiled which in turn caused Hermione to grin. _It only happens when I'm with you... _The younger witch chose not to voice that opinion as they leisurely paced towards the lake and sat on the damp earth floor. The murky green waters bustled to and fro while it soaked in the sun's glimmer.

"W'at were you dreaming about?" Fleur's piercing blue eyes locked with her soft amber ones.

"Nothing."

"Eet must 'ave been terrible eef you came zis early."

"It..." She considered telling the blonde her nightmare but digressed. _There's no need to get her worried._ "Wasn't really important... I can't remember most of it anyway." She added as soon as she saw the blonde witch's countenance.

"Eef you say so." Fleur rested her head against Hermione's shoulder. The scent of lilacs wafted around her. _Maybe she does like me, I mean common she wouldn't be near me if she didn't. I'm being silly thinking a simple dream, which I can't even remember, would make Fleur hate me. _She beamed as she leaned her head beside the other's.

"Ze lake eez vairy beautiful today."

"Yes, it is." She spoke as her troubled thoughts slowly ebbed away.

"Fleur..." The thermal radiance of the sun descended upon their bodies as Hermione faintly inhaled the alluring fragrance of florescence. The glints of golden hue flickered throughout the scenery and caught her attention. _Almost as beautiful as Fleur...almost._

"Oui."

"Can you promise me something?" She sustained her stare at the rich the horizon.

"Sure, w'at eez eet?"

"Promise, you'll never forget me." Hermione tore her gaze from the skyline to the blonde. It was a wishful promise yes, perhaps even silly, but it was still a promise. Fleur looked at her with curiosity as she scooted closer.

"Only eef you promise to never forget me." Both witches simpered.

"I promise."

"Zen I promise as well." A tender hand intertwined themselves with her own. Joy washed over her soul as she let out a content sigh. She was with the one she loved regardless if said one knew it or not.

* * *

"_'Ermione... Je t'aime..." Her loving body embraced her owns, sending content chills down her spine. The couple stood beneath a billowing willow, as close as love birds would allow. "Tonig't, you are mine and I am yours, mon amour."  
_

"'Mione..."

"_Come wiz me and I promise we will never be apart." Her love's smooth hands clasped hers as she drowned in the clear pools of her azure orbs. Her phenomenal azure orbs that made even the sky darken in envy. Oh, how she could gaze into those orbs for hours on end.  
_

"'Mione..."

"_We will go to France and I will s'ow you all of ze sites!" The deepest blue of her paramour's eyes twinkled with excitement as her expression broke into a divine smile. _She grinned feeble-mindedly.

"Earth to 'Mione!" A sharp jab greeted her forearm.

"Ow, what was that for!" She glared across the table at Ron who had stabbed her with a spoon. She sighed not wanting to be brought back to reality, she would much rather be dreaming of her love's face. _That was such a good daydream too..._

"I had to get your attention somehow, you were in la la land!" The redhead defended as he loaded several pork chops to his plate with said spoon. At the moment, the trio ate dinner in a noisy and crowded Great Hall like usual. Fortunately, Hermione had maintained a seat at the Gryffindor's table where she could easily glance at Fleur who settled with the Ravenclaw's.

"Well, you've got it." She crabbily replied.

"Wow, someone's in a mood." She merely gave him a heated glare, not wanting to start a commotion since she had caught her love now looking in their area. "Anyway Harry's tryin' to talk to you."

"Hmm, what is it Harry?" Her eyes made contact with Fleur's from across the hall, instantly causing her to melt into a puddle of slop. _Fleur is absolutely gorgeous when she's eating... _

"Just wonderin' where you've been most of the time? We haven't seen you in ages."

"Mmmhhmmm." Ron muffled his agreement through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Huh, what are you talking about? You guys saw me yesterday at dinner." She responded as her focus on the blonde never wavered.

"Aside from dinners-"

"And classes." Ron chirped after swallowing his food.

"Yeah, and classes we haven't seen you around lately."

"I've been busy with homework." She lied weakly as she observed the token of her affections smirk mischievously at her. _What is she planning? _She grinned back as a response.

"Homework? 'Mione you're practically in the same classes as us." Harry invoked disbelievingly. "Last I checked we've been gettin' a decent workload."

"Who you looking at?" Ron intruded as he noticed Hermione's lack of concern.

"Nobody." The brunette witch quickly broke her trance.

"No, you were looking at someone. Who was it? Was it Krum?" He inspected the region that she had been previously fixed on.

"Krum? Viktor Krum? Why would it be him?" She responded baffled.

"Haven't you noticed? He's been starin' at you a lot." Harry pointed out, poking a piece of broccoli in the process.

"He has?" She briefly peered over the Slytherin's table where the Drumstrang students resided. Her sight rested at the Bulgarian seeker prior to returning to her friends.

"What you're interested?" Ron looked appalled.

"Of course not!" This time Hermione was the one to be appalled which made Harry chuckle at his two best mates.

"You two are crazy." He grinned. Hermione used this pause to glance at the location where her crush perched, however found it to be barren. _Where'd Fleur go?_ She hastily examined the hall and caught long flowing blonde hair escape through the doorway. _Maybe I can catch her before she goes?_ Her heart fluttered as she stood abruptly causing Harry to spill his pumpkin juice.

"Sorry bout that..." She briskly threw a napkin on the spilt beverage as she made her way towards the exit.

"'Mione, where you goin'? You didn't even eat yet!" Ron shouted with his mouth full of peas.

"Not hungry!" She replied hastening her steps as she exited the Great hall. _Where is she? _She glimpsed at a movement from the corner of her sight.

"Fleur! Hey, wait up!" She ran towards that direction until eventually she managed to get close enough to grab onto the other's shoulder. She outstretched her arm and yanked the individual to face her.

"Fle- your not Fleur." Hermione mind reeled as she observed the other girl. She was quite attractive and had physical features similar to Fleur, such as hair, yet she wasn't the one that kidnapped her heart.

"Sorry, I've mixed you up with a different person." The stranger glowered before she sauntered off. _Where did Fleur go? _The brunette sighed in defeat. _Am I so in love with Fleur that the mere thought of her drives me crazy? Yes, I am. Arg, how long can this go on? How long can I continue with this one-sided infatuation? Oh, look at me. I'm acting like a lovesick puppy because her. And for what? Friendship? I don't want friendship... I don't even know what I want any more..._

She pivoted to retreat to her dorm except she had chased down the supposed 'Fleur' and hadn't kept track as to where she was going. Apparently, she wandered off to some part of the castle which she wasn't accustomed to.

"Great, now I'm lost..." _All because I want to be with Fleur... Am I this hopelessly in love with her? _She began to search for any recognizable object to guide her way. Suddenly, her small figure was grasped from behind by a taller, benevolent one. The former' arms surrounded her waist.

"W'at, ze great 'Ermione eez lost?" A reserved delicate voice approached her ears. _Is that..._

"Fl-Fleur?" Lilacs confirmed her suspicions as she melted into the limbs of her affection. _Fleur is... holding me? Am I hallucinating? _The butterflies in her stomach and rapid heartbeat told her else wise.

"Oui, w'o else would eet be?" Shivers vexed her torso as the words tipped out of her inamorata's mouth.

"What are you doing here?" She felt vibrations against her back as Fleur chortled.

"I followed you w'en you left ze 'all and mistook zat girl for me."

"You know, you could've stopped me at any time to avoid all this chaos." She sensed that haughty grin form on her love's flawless lips.

"W'ere would ze fun in zat be?"

"You're such a tease..." More jaunty vibrations greeted her back, followed by a slight squeeze around her frame. The younger witch felt Fleur inching closer as the blonde's soft humid breath made contact with her ear.

"Only to you I am." She breathed into said ear which provoked the brunette to spontaneously shudder.

"So, you admit you enjoy teasing me?" The brunette spun around within the embrace to border the taller witch.

"I never said zat did I?" She smirked the same mischievous smirk from before. "Now let's go before we are caug't." She broke the embrace as she opted for the younger witch's hand instead. Hermione didn't have time to react as they made their way to the Great hall.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the abandoned hallways as Hermione struggled to make sense of the situation. _Okay... I chased after a girl who I thought was Fleur... which made me lost... but the real Fleur followed me... now I'm holding her hand... and she's leading me back? Yes, okay... What?_ The younger witch barely registered that the other had started talking.

"I would 'ave zoug't zat you would know zis castle inside out." The playfulness in her tone was unmistakeable.

"No, Hogwarts is, as you said, very grand." Hermione's brain commenced to operate. Jolts danced along her hand as she became aware of how pleasant it was to have her hand clasped inside of her love's. The brunette had been so absorbed with the feeling, she failed to notice that they had arrived and bumped into the other's back.

"Oh, we're here." She mumbled. _That was so quick..._

"Oui." Fleur edged in closer.

"I guess it's goodnight then." Hermione said yet the blonde hadn't made a move to leave.

"I do not get a 'ug goodbye?" The French witch half-joked. Hermione blushed a bit before leaning in to squeeze the blonde woman. However, instead of a pair of welcoming arms wrapping around her frame, Hermione was greeted with two elegant tender lips agaisnt her own.


	3. The Letter

Kay, so I'm sorry bout the delay on this chapter. I dunno were the heck this story was going but thanks to fledge I've got ideas running in my head again. Also thanks to everyone who reviewed I really appreciate it, YOU GUYS ROCK! BOOYAH!

Extra-Note: Thanks to The Darklight Angel for betaing my horribly bad tenses and grammar for this chapter. YOU ROCK MY PROVERBIAL SOCKS!

-Disclaimer- I don't own the characters or anything of the sort. They belong to whomever they belong to.

* * *

The Letter

She had done it. Fleur Isabelle Delacour had finally kissed Hermione Jane Granger. Not as a joke or anything of the sort, no. She had kissed her because secretly (or not so secretly) she had been pining for the young brunette, yearning for her attention. Judging from the body language and signals, the other witch also felt the same- or at least similar, since whenever she would float by Hermione,a twinkle would appear in the younger girl's eyes.

Fleur allowed a grin to form on her face, her mouth spreading slowly into a lazy smile, as she realized that the taste of Hermione still lingered on her lips. She softly traced the outline of her mouth with her fingertips, savouring the faint mix of marshmallows and cinnamon. Oh, how she loved that taste, the taste of her inamorata; soft and sweet yet grounded and spicy. Her grin widened as she recalled exactly how the taste had come to be on her lips.

-  
_  
Fleur had been watching Hermione ever since she had entered the mess hall. She had taken quite an obvious seat where they could easily stare at each other. She was upset; why hadn't Hermione just sat down beside her? The blonde guessed it had something to do with the two boys she was always with- the Potter boy and that... red-headed fellow. No competition. However she had noticed that Krum was paying too much attention to __her Hermione, and Fleur didn't like that at all. Hermione was __hers... or rather, would be hers, and she did not like to share, especially when it came down to such an extraordinary person. Snapping back to attention, she spotted Hermione with a glazed over expression on her face. It had broken into a rather unintelligent grin as their sight had made contact. Fleur had smirked knowing that the younger girl was probably thinking of her. Suddenly after that though, Hermione had torn away from their stare, giving Fleur enough time to devise and initiate her plan._

-

She kept her distance from the young brunette, throwing her amorous and flirtatious smiles and glances, but never saying a word until the time had come. The kiss had been a simple one. Quick, chaste, sweet and innocent. It was a refined rustic moment; crude for it was unexpected but certainly not unwelcome. Fleur knew she shouldn't have kissed Hermione, yet something came over her. An instinctive desire, she supposed, and that desire drove her to meet the lips of her angel. Afterwards they had quickly departed, a smile of triumph on Fleur's face. She had known for quite a while that Hermione had a crush on her (the obvious body language was a dead give away) but she had chosen not to claim her immediately. No, Fleur chose to toy with her first; not because she was a tormentor, not mostly, but because she wasn't sure if she could handle these..._ confusing feelings. _

She was hesitant but she knew she was falling for Hermione at the same time. Those two matters surged conflicting thoughts through her mind. Not to mention she wasn't sure if she was ready for a serious relationship. In the past all her precedent partners hadn't lasted a week, merely because they couldn't hold her attention and got boring too quickly, hence she was always the one to terminate the affair. That was also another reason why she pondered about a relationship with Hermione. She didn't want to end up throwing her away like she had done to all the others for Hermione deserved better than that and, as much as Fleur hated to admit, Hermione deserved better than her, a girl with a cautious heart and commitment issues.

The blonde brushed her lips once more. How did this ever occur? How did Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbaton champion, the half Veela goddess, begin to fall for Hermione Granger, the bushy-haired female of the golden trio? In reality, Fleur honestly never thought she would ever even spare a girl like younger witch a single glance- she didn't fit the mould that was her ideal soul-mate: Wavy blonde hair, bright baby blue eyes, a dazzling smile and a charming personality. Not to mention her soul-mate would be a male. Yet somehow the brunette was able to capture Fleur's attention without the slightest clue that she was doing so.

Fleur concluded that the only reason Hermione was able to do so was because of the immediate distaste that radiated off of the girl every time she caught sight of Fleur, an occurrence that was not uncommon by most females Fleur had met, but the dislike that the Gyriffindor emitted was positively brutal. It was so strong that the angry tension that grew between them could be sliced with a knife. Admittedly though, without that animosity, Fleur would have brushed Hermione off to the side to ignore and forget about. If she had done so she would have never been able to experience the emotion called love with her now. But how did this love come to be?

Well, it hadn't been a spontaneous affection, that was for sure. It had been more of a growing sort of fondness. She didn't understand it at first for she had never felt like she was feeling for Hermione before, but Hermione was able to stir something so indescribable within her confides. She made Fleur feel like all prior relationships were silly little flings (which wasn't far from the truth). She made her heart light, her breathing fill with longing, her eyes glaze over and she was able to do it with ease. It nearly frightened her to know the younger witch was capable of doing such a task without even lifting a finger.

The feeling of adoration had started faint, so faint she had hardly noticed it, but it soon grew. It grew and blossomed tiny spores of seeds that surrounded her heart. Said seeds were continually being nourished and watered so that they blossomed into the bud of pulsing sensations we recognize as love.

The procedure of planting the affection started with the occasional glance, but soon changed into a fascination of sorts thus initiating the growth period. Fleur commenced to note the tiny habits Hermione had such as shuffling her feet under the table when she was bored or the slight rise of her eyebrows when she was interested in something. She found the younger witch to be quite amusing. She continued to invest more of her time and attention into the brunette until eventually her bush-like hair and infectious smile was all Fleur could think about.

She sighed happily as she picked up her quill in an attempt to write in her diary, if it could be referred to as that. It was more or less a journal about Hermione than anything else. She had initially bought it to keep track of the tournament but with the appearance of her brown eyed inamorata, it had become a day-to-day commentary of her interactions with the younger witch. Her focus wavered from the text and soon found its way through her miniature window towards a tower where _someone_ particularly interesting stayed. Her gaze wandered to a ray of surging light. _Hermione's probably in there. _She grinned once more prior to returning to her half written document.

_The TriWizard tournament has been... less than what I expected. The first task was a breeze with the exception of a minor incident which I will not indulge in (my skirt is forever ruined). I am very worried about the second task as it will be... a lot harder, I suppose. I have finally uncovered what is meant by the accursed screeching the egg produces. Apparently, something or someone I'll sorely miss will be included in this task. I hope it does not have to do with Hermione or Gabrielle. I don't think I could handle it if either one of them were injured because of me. What scares me the most is the prospect of one of the two never returning if I cannot save them. I suspect the task would have to do with that murky looking lake which Hermione and I once shared a wonderful moment by... but I will spare the details of that extravagant time since I have already written a ridiculous amount about the beautiful event._

She paused to briefly educe that fine occasion. Minutes after separating from her bushy haired angel, she had rushed back into her sleeping quarters and proceeded to churn out words upon words of adoration. Her sight once again journeyed to the rush of illumination but found it to be missing. _Oh,_ _She fell asleep. _She continued to write.

_Hermione, oh, Hermione. Her name rolls off my tongue although I cannot pronounce it properly. I don't think she minds though. She is adorable, so adorable that I've unintentionally kissed her. I don't regret my decision, in fact I am absolutely ecstatic! She is my sun and my moon. She is the air that I breathe and the origin of my thoughts. She is everything I'm wanting or rather aching. She is my everything. I think I'm falling for her with each and every passing minute. She is so genuine and naive. She is positively incredible! Which is why I would never want to cause her any harm especially in this tournament._

_Our relationship right now... is somewhat delicate. As I mentioned before I have already kissed her yet we are just passing the 'friend' zone. She could easily avoid me and we could eventually revert back into friends. Luckily, I think the both of us does not want that to be. So this new found relationship will progress to inch forward and, I hope, will develop into something more definite... still I worry I am not ready for a steady relationship. I do not know why but I fear that if I do enter such a bond I will end up paining her with my uncertainty and insecurities. I am very reluctant but I will follow what my heart is telling me. It is telling me that I'm falling in love with her and I will not abandon my heart._

* * *

The cold wind blew her golden locks aside as she peered into the dark waters below. This was where her love would be submerged in if she was the one Fleur would miss the most. Half of her wanted Hermione to be the person she would miss the most, the other half didn't since she would be immersed in the lake below.

Some of her fellow classmates huddled around behind her as she discarded her robe to reveal her light blue bathing suit underneath. She shuddered slightly as she handed the unneeded article of clothing to one of the other girls. Fleur frowned knowing the majority of the crowd would probably be staring at her. She turned to find that her suspicions were correct, hence the many glazed over looks in her direction. _Pigs. _She sneered back a them. The other champions minus Harry prepared themselves for the task at hand by stretching or reciting the spells they planned to use.

The blonde, however, decided to search the crowd for her paramour. She ignored the dimwitted expressions on most of the people's faces, only having eyes for her brown haired beauty yet she couldn't spot her. Fortunately, her sister was sitting near the front row. Unfortunately, that increased the risk of Hermione being the something or someone they had taken and she would sorely miss. Come to think of it, she hadn't been able to find Hermione all morning, which didn't help soothe her jitters. Maybe, they had taken her? Maybe, she's somewhere down there being held captive by brutal merpeople? Or maybe, she was just being silly thinking Hermione would be in grave danger? But the song from the egg stated otherwise: _Past an hour – the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

The nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach expanded as the song replayed in her head and the moment for rescue drew closer. She glimpsed at the clock. It was a minute before the task started, a minute before she had to save her love or lose her forever. She exhaled shakily as Harry ultimately decided to appear and bounded up next to Krum.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then." Bagman had shouted with his amplified voice. Fleur exhaled once more to calm her escalating nerves. Will she be able to rescue her angel? No matter how much she wanted too, she did not know the answer.

"One... two... _three_!" Fleur barely heard the shrill sound of the whistle or the booming applause of the audience as she hastily cast the Bubble-Head Charm and dove into the grim chilly waters below. The pressure of the mucky waters instantly pressed weight into her body movements making it harder to glide forwards. Pure adrenaline rushed through her veins as she managed to rapidly swim through the thick wads of seaweed. _Is Hermione safe? Is she even in here? Where is she? I must find her._ In her haste, she accidentally kicked a slimy object which startled her, making her collide into a bundle of seaweed. Its clammy tendrils wrapped around her legs and arms, trapping her instantly.

She cursed at herself for being so careless as she muttered a few simple spells to rid herself of the unpleasant nuisance. Gravity was against her, time was against her, everything was against her in this damned pool of liquid. She yanked her limbs free from the vile vegetation as she dashed onwards. The filthy waters made it hard to see anything clearly. Eventually, she was able to detect four vague human outlines.

Each of the bodies seemed to be motionless. In fact, getting a better look, they were all in a deep sleep, completely oblivious of their gloomy surroundings. One was that red-headed male Hermione was always with; Fleur guessed he was Harry's hostage. Another was an Asian witch that seemed to be dating the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, meaning that she would have to be _his_ hostage. The third was a dirty blonde witch that Fleur concluded, by process of elimination, was Krum's captive. Eagerly, Fleur scanned the last prisoner for assurance. Sure enough, it was Hermione that was floating with a dreamy expression on her visage. The blonde felt a tiny pulse of relief throughout her figure but the job wasn't done yet. She gathered up more energy to propel herself to her inamorata. Suddenly, oozy little hands grasped her ankle before she could move.

She glanced down at the offending beast. A grindylow. Its pale green face and matching green teeth grimaced in anger. Apparently, the object she had previously kicked was the head of this menace. She scowled at the hideous creature. Now wasn't the time for this, now was the time to free her love and time was running out. Aggravated, the blonde cast a nasty stunning spell that instantaneously froze the tiny bugger. She held back a smirk as the brute drifted upwards as she began to accelerate again. However, the blonde wasn't able to budge an inch for the grindylow had accomplices that constricted both her legs.

She cursed horribly as she shot spell after spell of stunning curses but the pests continued to relentlessly attack. She sensed herself sinking with each tug they took. Her spells had become more and more frantic now. She was so close, so very close to saving her paramour. So. Damn. Close. Yet she was still too far. Way too far.

After an innumerable amount of shots, Fleur began to feel fatigued. The added pressure and constant spell-casting was taking its toll on her, but she wasn't about to succumb. There was too much at stake. _Hermione_ was at stake. She blasted yet another grindylow, and still the assault continued. She felt her body tremendously weighed down for the ugly brutes began to attach their tentacle-like legs to her back and arms.

"Non!" She screamed out, but only bubbles formed. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to rescue Hermione. She was supposed to succeed and gain the full affections from her love. She was supposed to but supposed to be doing and actually doing are two different things, two entirely different things. She stunned another grindylow prior to it gripping her forearm, which in turn only succeeded in making the brutish creatures even more violent. They proceeded to haul her down even more.

Fleur couldn't give up just yet. She couldn't let Hermione down, but her body betrayed her as her breath steadily drained and her body ceased all movements. A dim bleakness threaten to overcome her mind. The blonde didn't submit. _Couldn't_ submit. Not yet. Not when she could see her. Her Hermione. She attempted to discharge a more powerful jinx, only to discover that the grindylows had seized her wand arm. She couldn't fight any more. She was powerless. The monsters overwhelmed her limbs and were slowly dragging her down. Away from civilization, away from Hermione. She had failed. She had failed Beauxbatons, she had failed Madame Maxime, she had failed her family, she had failed herself... she had failed Hermione.

_  
Je suis désolée._ She thought as the darkness engulfed her vision._ Hermione.._. Fleur was conscious enough to see the hovering form of her paramour gradually disintegrating.  
_  
I've failed you...  
_  
The black abyss asphyxiated her mind.

* * *

I guess this chapter would be the entry to 10000 words. WOOT, my first 10000 words! ^^


End file.
